Orc Abduction
The following quest was run by Clayton on 11/2/12, participants were Ben (Samurai), Jason (Paladin) and Connor (Sorceror) Our adventurers started out, as usual, at the one eared bugbear , sleeping soundly in their comfortable beds. Their peaceful night came to an abrupt halt as our heroes were awakened by mass hysteria rushing past their bedroom window. After a quick dressing and collection of their adventuring essentials, the party rushed outside the bugbear to find the near impassable crowd rushing away from the south gate of the city, with all of the signs of a fire in the distance. The samurai lost his footing and would have been trampled underfoot were it not for the keen ears of the sorceror. Upon reaching the site of the fire, a short run from the south gate, a large blond man begged for the party's assistance in putting out the fire, a task handled simply. He thanked them when their job was done and asked them where he might find the heroes when light broke, as he had a job for them. The sorceror grew wary of the task after he spotted a number of tracks leading into the woods, just larger than human footprints, and the few bodies there bearing wounds that resemble weapon slashes. The party decidedto accept the offer and returned to the bugbear to resume their sleep before what would be an undoubtedly big day. Guard Fahquard (for that was his name) met the party as they were beginning breakfast, explaining that last night's fire was not a random accident, and that a troup of orcs had been ransacking and pilliaging ever closer to Grey for some time now and, last night, a ten strong raiding party had taken some women and children prisoners. He charged the adventurers with the rescue and safeguarding of these captives, revealing that the site of the first reported attack was about a day's journey away. The party came to a small obstruction in the road just south of the city, the path interrupted by a large shrub. As the adventurers came closer, they heard a rattling behind the bush. The samurai, ever the practical one, decided not to chance it and poked at the shrub with his Sansetsukon. A large venemous snake struck at the samurai who, in a display of skill and finesse, whipped his weapon down with lightning speed, slaying the snake in a single blow. Further along the trail, the group came across a hut that had been burnt to ash, barely more than a frame now. They searched it in the hopes of finding evidence of where these orcs came from but only found ash and bone. The paladin took to conducting a short religious service for the poor soul and the other two members helping him conduct the rites, out of respect and humility. Tracking the orcs via their footprints led the party to the edge of a vegetated bog, where the party rested for the night before following the now deep and obvious tracks through the muck. After following the tracks some ways, they found that the bog gave way to a small "island" of hard land, on which was a firepit and a hut. Upon their arrival at this island, the group found an orc corpse, stuck fast in the mud. They pulled it out and quickly found a number of deep lacerating clawmarks all over its face and body. Their inquiry was cut short, however, when the voice of an old woman could be heard coming from the hut, beckoning them to enter. The sorceror, assuming that one of the prisoners had gotten free and sheltered here, rushed inside to aid her, leaving the paladin outside as a lookout. No sooner had he opened the door when he was beset by a Green Hag, one who was old and feeble, but no less lethal. The sorceror suffered massive damage and the samurai was grazed before she was overcome and killed. After a quick search for valuables, the paladin cleased her and the area of evil with his torch, igniting the hut in the process. The party continued following the tracks out of the bog and towards a large hill to the East, the sorceror casting prestidigitation to clean his now filthy robes. The hill bore a cave entrance on its side, easily large enough for a human to fit through and, since the tracks ended there, the group assumed that this must be the lair of the orcs. Peering into the darkness inside, the group saw three orcs standing near a campfire and charged without hesitation. The samurai's skill showed quickly, dispatching two of them as they struck at the paladin's tower shield to no avail. The third attempted to run, but the sorceror's magic missile ensured it didn't get far. With no sign of the prisoners, the party turned its attention to a large wooden locked door that led deeper into the hill. With no key to be found, the samurai attacked it, doing enough to shatter the wood and send splinters flying. The path forked soon after the door, with the party choosing to move along the left one. After 20m, the path disappeared into a 5m drop, the bottom of this pit lined with spikes. Luckily the orcs had lain a large wooden sleeper across the gap and all but the paladin crossed with ease. As fortune would have it, the paladin caught the edge of the pit and the party lifted him out. This path opened into a large cavern, the main camp of the orcs. There were five orcs clustered around a fire all looking intently in one direction. Whatever they were looking at was obscured by the cage which held the prisoners. The sorceror and samurai sneaked along the wall to the other side of the cavern, ready to attack before the paladin bravely drew their attention. The two sneaking party members could see what the other orcs were looking at, the orc leader, a bigger grey hulk of an orc holding a rope that bound one of the prisoners. The orcs charged the paladin, but not before one was cut down by the samurai. The battle was long and fierce, the paladin shrugging off a number of blows, the samurai being knocked out twice, only to regain consciousness by sheer power of will, and the sorceror throwing spells about. When the dust settled, the orcs were vanquished, only their leader remaining. He stood over the unconscious body of the paladin and dropped his axe, driving it deep into the paladin's chest, killing him. The sorceror lost all reason at this point, charging the leader and walloping him with his quarterstaff before the samurai joined in, decapitating him and quartering the head in mid air. The prisoners were freed and the paladin given a proper religious burial outside the cave by the two remaining party members. They then headed back to Grey, their hearts heavy with the loss of their comrade. Each party member received 535 XP for this quest, due to the high difficulty. Category:Quests